Part of Who am I (bundled with answers)
· Lesson 6 of 31
Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Collected episodes from (51) to (60) with answers
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0:00
Pause,
0:03
and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the noble souls.
0:12
A new challenge: Who am I?
0:20
I am the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
0:24
and my mother is Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her.
0:28
I was born when my father, peace be upon him, was
0:31
thirty-three years old.
0:34
I embraced Islam alongside my mother when I was seven years old.
0:37
I was blessed with remarkable beauty,
0:40
and became known as "the woman of the two migrations,"
0:43
for I migrated to Abyssinia,
0:46
and later to Medina.
0:49
Before the advent of Islam, my father, peace be upon him, married me
0:53
to his cousin, 'Utbah ibn Abi Lahab.
0:57
But when Allah Almighty revealed:
1:00
"May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and may he perish,"
1:04
his father said to him,
1:06
"My head is forbidden to yours,
1:09
unless you divorce the daughter of Muhammad!"
1:12
So he separated from me before the marriage was consummated—
1:15
an honor bestowed by Allah Almighty upon His Messenger,
1:18
shielding his daughter from being touched by a polytheist.
1:21
Then 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, proposed to me,
1:25
and my father gave me to him in marriage
1:27
by the command of Allah Almighty.
1:29
I migrated with him to Abyssinia
1:32
on an arduous journey,
1:34
during which I suffered a miscarriage with 'Uthman's child.
1:37
Later, I gave birth to a son with him,
1:39
whom we named 'Abdullah.
1:42
When he reached six years of age,
1:44
a rooster pecked his eye,
1:47
causing his face to swell, and he fell critically ill
1:50
and passed away.
1:52
In the second year of the Hijrah,
1:54
I was stricken by a severe fever,
1:57
just as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, decreed
2:00
the Battle of Badr.
2:03
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, set out
2:06
along with the Muslims,
2:07
but the Prophet, peace be upon him, ordered
2:10
my husband 'Uthman
2:12
to remain by my side
2:14
to nurse and care for me.
2:17
The Prophet allotted him a share of the spoils of war,
2:20
and his reward with Allah was deemed equivalent to that of one who fought in the battle.
2:24
No sooner had the bearer of glad tidings arrived in Medina
2:26
with news of the Muslim victory at Badr,
2:29
than he saw the people of Medina
2:32
leveling the earth over my grave;
2:35
for my appointed time had arrived,
2:37
at the age of twenty-two.
2:40
When my father, peace be upon him, returned
2:43
from the battle
2:45
and learned of my passing,
2:47
he went out to Baqi' al-Gharqad,
2:49
stood over my grave,
2:51
and prayed for Allah's mercy and forgiveness for me.
2:54
So, who am I?
3:12
The answer:
3:14
Ruqayyah, daughter of Muhammad,
3:16
may Allah be pleased with her.
3:28
They filled life with glories through their deeds,
3:33
and through them, the world of mankind flourished in splendor.
3:38
Pause and get to know the Companions,
3:46
the scholars, and the noble souls.
3:54
A new challenge:
3:56
Who am I?
3:58
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
4:05
hailing from the people of Ta'if.
4:07
I was an enslaved man belonging to al-Harith ibn Kaladah of Thaqif.
4:11
I was known as the freedman of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
4:16
When the Muslims besieged Ta'if
4:20
after the Battle of Hunayn,
4:22
I was inside the fortress alongside Thaqif.
4:25
As the siege wore on,
4:28
the Prophet, peace be upon him, commanded
4:31
a herald to proclaim:
4:33
"Whosoever among the enslaved scales down the fortress and comes out to us
4:37
is a free man."
4:39
Thereupon, there emerged from within the fortress
4:42
twenty-three men,
4:44
and I was among those who came out.
4:47
I climbed over the wall of the great fortress of Ta'if
4:51
and slid down using a round pulley (bakrah)
4:54
that people drew water with.
4:57
I went to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
5:01
embraced Islam before him,
5:03
and informed him that I was an enslaved man.
5:06
So he freed me,
5:07
and gave me the agnomen (kunyah) derived from the tool I had used to descend the fortress.
5:12
Thus my kunyah became far more famous than my actual name.
5:15
Later, Thaqif pleaded with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
5:21
to return me to them as an enslaved servant,
5:24
but he replied, "No,
5:27
he is a freeman of Allah and a freeman of His Messenger."
5:30
I lived among the Muslims as a free man,
5:34
a devoted worshiper, scholar, and fighter in the cause of Allah.
5:37
When death approached me,
5:39
my children offered to summon a physician for me,
5:43
but I refused.
5:45
And as my final moments came upon me,
5:47
I said to them, "Where is your physician now,
5:51
to restore my soul, if he speaks the truth?"
5:55
So, who am I?
5:57
The best of generations in standing and exemplars,
6:02
following the Messenger in whatever he pursued or spoke.
6:08
They were here, pouring forth rain upon our lives like fertile clouds.
6:13
Abu Bakrah Nufay' ibn al-Harith al-Thaqafi, may Allah be pleased with him.
6:18
They departed, leaving in the conscience a lingering question:
6:23
Has ever a star risen and shone brightly as they did?
6:28
They filled life with glories through their deeds,
6:33
and through them, the world of mankind flourished in grace.
6:50
The best of generations in standing and exemplars.
6:59
I am one of the Companions,
7:04
a Thaqafi from Ta'if.
7:07
I came with my delegation to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the Year of Delegations,
7:12
and I was the youngest among them.
7:15
I went ahead to the Prophet, peace be upon him, before they did,
7:19
embraced Islam, and he taught me to recite portions of the Qur'an.
7:23
I remained closely attached to Ubayy ibn Ka'b, may Allah be pleased with him,
7:27
and he used to teach me the recitation of the Qur'an.
7:30
When my people prepared to depart,
7:33
they said, "O Messenger of Allah, appoint a leader over us."
7:38
He appointed me as their leader, saying, "He is prudent and discerning,
7:43
and has committed a substantial portion of the Qur'an to heart."
7:46
They gladly accepted and said, "We will never replace a leader
7:50
appointed over us by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."
7:55
So I returned with them to Ta'if
7:58
as their leader and their imam in prayer.
8:01
One day, I complained to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, of a chronic pain
8:08
that I had felt in my body ever since I embraced Islam,
8:11
which had brought me close to destruction.
8:14
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to me:
8:18
"Place your hand upon the area of your body where you feel pain,
8:22
and say, 'In the name of Allah' (Bismillah) three times,
8:25
and say seven times:
8:27
'I seek refuge in Allah and His power from the evil of what I experience and fear.'"
8:32
I did so,
8:34
and the pain vanished completely from me.
8:36
Later, something began disturbing me during my prayer,
8:39
until I no longer knew what I was praying,
8:42
and the Qur'an was slipping away from my memory.
8:45
When I realized that,
8:48
I traveled to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
8:52
He asked, "What has brought you?"
8:55
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
8:58
something has been invading my prayers,
9:01
until I no longer know what I am praying,
9:04
and the Qur'an slips from my memory."
9:07
He said, "That is Satan.
9:10
Come close."
9:12
I drew near to him and knelt upon the tops of my feet.
9:16
He struck my chest with his hand,
9:18
spat lightly into my mouth,
9:20
and commanded, "Depart, O enemy of Allah!"
9:23
He did that three times,
9:26
and then said,
9:28
"Return to your land."
9:30
By Allah, Satan never confused me in my prayer ever again,
9:34
nor did I ever forget anything I wished to memorize.
9:37
I also played a decisive role in preventing Thaqif from committing apostasy;
9:43
for I delivered a sermon to them after the passing of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
9:48
and the subsequent apostasy of many Arab tribes.
9:51
I said to them:
9:52
"O gathering of Thaqif!
9:54
You were the last of the people to enter Islam,
9:57
so do not be the first of them to apostatize!"
10:01
Thus Allah kept them steadfast.
10:03
On another occasion, I had dispatched servants of mine to engage in trade.
10:07
When they returned,
10:09
I asked,
10:10
"What have you brought?"
10:12
They said,
10:13
"We have brought merchandise
10:15
in which every dirham yielded tenfold profit."
10:18
I asked,
10:19
"And what is this trade you have brought
10:22
that yields such tremendous profit?"
10:25
They said,
10:26
"Wine."
10:27
I exclaimed,
10:28
"Wine?!
10:29
When we have been strictly forbidden from drinking it and selling it?!"
10:33
So I began opening the mouths of the vessels
10:36
and pouring the wine out onto the streets.
10:39
So, who am I?
10:42
The best of generations in standing and exemplars,
10:48
following the Messenger in whatever he pursued,
10:52
pouring forth goodness upon our lives like fertile clouds.
10:58
The answer:
10:59
'Uthman ibn Abi al-'As al-Thaqafi,
11:02
may Allah be pleased with him.
11:04
They departed, leaving in the conscience a lingering question:
11:09
Has ever a star risen and shone brightly as they did?
11:14
They filled life with glories through their deeds,
11:19
and through them, the world of mankind flourished in grace.
11:24
Pause,
11:31
Pause,
11:32
and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures—
11:36
the best of generations in deeds and exemplary standing.
11:40
A new challenge:
11:42
Who am I?
11:48
I am one of the Emigrants (Muhajirun),
11:50
and one of the senior Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
11:55
I embraced Islam early on,
11:58
and I was the first to greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) with the greeting of Islam.
12:05
The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed me to return to my people,
12:10
so I called them to Islam,
12:13
and I remained among them until the Prophet (peace be upon him) emigrated to Medina.
12:20
Then I joined him there, accompanied by my people who had embraced Islam.
12:24
I took part alongside him in the Battle of the Trench and subsequent campaigns,
12:30
and I was the standard-bearer of my people at the Battle of Hunayn.
12:35
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) marched toward Tabuk,
12:40
men began to fall behind.
12:43
The people would say,
12:45
"O Messenger of Allah,
12:46
so-and-so has fallen behind."
12:48
And he (peace be upon him) would reply,
12:51
"Leave him be.
12:53
If there is any good in him,
12:55
Allah will cause him to catch up with you;
12:57
and if it be otherwise,
13:00
Allah has relieved you of him."
13:03
While I was traveling with the army,
13:05
my camel slowed me down,
13:07
causing me to fall behind the caravan.
13:10
People began to say about me what they were saying about those who stayed behind.
13:16
As for me,
13:17
when I was delayed because of the camel,
13:20
I dismounted,
13:22
took my belongings, hoisted them onto my back,
13:26
and set out on foot following the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
13:31
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) halted at one of his encampments,
13:37
and a Muslim man looked out and said,
13:40
"O Messenger of Allah,
13:42
there is a man walking along the road."
13:45
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
13:49
"Be so-and-so!"
13:51
naming me by name.
13:53
When the people looked closely at me,
13:56
they said, "O Messenger of Allah,
13:58
by Allah, it is indeed he!"
14:00
Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
14:04
"May Allah have mercy on him:
14:06
he walks alone,
14:08
dies alone,
14:10
and will be resurrected alone."
14:13
And what the Prophet (peace be upon him) foretold came to pass.
14:18
For after I took part in the Islamic conquests during the eras of Abu Bakr and 'Umar,
14:23
and the early part of the caliphate of 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them all),
14:29
I asked permission from the Commander of the Believers, 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him),
14:33
to move to al-Rabadhah,
14:35
and he granted me permission.
14:37
So I lived there in solitude.
14:39
When death approached me,
14:42
I gave instructions to my wife and my servant boy,
14:44
saying to them both:
14:46
"When I die,
14:48
wash me, shroud me,
14:50
and place me by the side of the road.
14:53
Then, to the very first caravan that passes by you,
14:56
say to them:
14:57
'This is so-and-so,
14:59
a Companion of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.'"
15:03
They did just that.
15:06
Soon, a caravan from the people of Kufah arrived,
15:09
among whom was 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).
15:13
They asked, "Who is this deceased person?"
15:16
and the two informed them.
15:18
Thereupon Ibn Mas'ud wept
15:21
and said,
15:23
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spoke the truth
15:27
when he said of him:
15:29
'May Allah have mercy on him:
15:30
he walks alone,
15:32
dies alone,
15:34
and will be resurrected alone.'"
15:36
He and those with him prayed over me,
15:40
and he laid me in my grave with his own hands.
15:42
So, who am I?
16:01
The answer:
16:02
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari,
16:04
may Allah be pleased with him.
16:16
They filled life with glories through their deeds,
16:21
and through them the world of mankind flourished in grace,
16:37
the best of generations in steadfastness and example.
16:42
A new challenge:
16:44
Who am I?
16:49
I am one of the younger Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
16:55
and the first child born to the Ansar in Medina after the Hijrah.
17:00
My father was also a Companion,
17:02
and he was the first among the Ansar to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him)
17:08
on the Day of Saqifah.
17:11
I was born in Medina fourteen months after the Hijrah,
17:16
and my mother brought me to the Prophet, peace be upon him.
17:20
He performed tahnik on me
17:22
and gave her the glad tidings that I would live a praiseworthy life,
17:25
be killed as a martyr,
17:27
and enter Paradise.
17:30
I heard from the Prophet (peace be upon him) the hadith of the ship,
17:35
in which he says:
17:38
"The likeness of the one who observes Allah's limits and the one who violates them
17:42
is like that of a people who drew lots for their places on a ship.
17:46
Some of them occupied its upper deck, while others occupied its lower deck.
17:51
Whenever those on the lower deck sought water,
17:55
they had to pass by those above them.
17:58
So they said,
17:59
'If only we made a hole in our portion,
18:03
we would not harm those above us.'
18:06
If they leave them to do what they intend,
18:08
they all perish together;
18:11
but if they restrain their hands,
18:14
they are saved, and all of them are saved together."
18:18
One day,
18:19
the poet al-A'sha came to me while he was ill,
18:23
at a time when I was governor of Homs.
18:25
I said to him,
18:27
"What brings you here?"
18:29
He replied,
18:30
"That you might aid me, uphold our kinship, and settle my debt."
18:35
I said,
18:36
"By Allah, I do not possess what you seek,
18:39
but I shall ask the people for something on your behalf."
18:43
Then I stood up and ascended the pulpit,
18:46
and said, "O people of Homs!
18:48
This is your cousin from Iraq,
18:52
and he is asking you for some assistance.
18:54
What do you say?"
18:56
They replied,
18:58
"Decide concerning our wealth as you see fit."
19:00
But I refused to impose it on them.
19:02
So they said,
19:03
"We have decided concerning our wealth:
19:06
two dinars from every man."
19:09
There were twenty thousand men registered in the military register (diwan),
19:13
so I disbursed to him from the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal)
19:15
forty thousand dinars.
19:18
Then, when their stipends were issued,
19:21
I deducted two dinars from the stipend of every man among them.
19:26
So, who am I?
19:44
The answer:
19:45
Al-Nu'man Ibn Bashir,
19:48
may Allah be pleased with him.
19:53
A question:
19:55
Is there any like them—stars high and radiant?
20:00
They filled life with glories through their deeds,
20:05
and through them the world of mankind flourished in grace.
20:16
Pause,
20:18
pause,
20:19
and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the eminent figures.
20:27
A new challenge:
20:30
Who am I?
21:04
He gave me a choice, saying,
21:06
"Choose for yourself:
21:09
if you choose Islam,
21:11
I will keep you for myself;
21:13
and if you choose Judaism,
21:15
I may set you free so that you may rejoin your people."
21:19
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
21:22
I have longed for Islam
21:24
and believed in you before you even called me.
21:27
I have no attachment left to Judaism,
21:30
nor do I have in it a father or a brother.
21:33
You have given me the choice between disbelief and Islam;
21:37
Allah and His Messenger are dearer to me than emancipation
21:40
and returning to my people."
21:43
So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) freed me
21:47
and married me,
21:48
making my emancipation my bridal gift (mahr).
21:51
Then he sent me to Umm Sulaym,
21:54
and I stayed with her until my waiting period ('iddah) was completed.
21:58
She then prepared me for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
22:03
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came in to me,
22:08
he noticed a greenish bruise by my eye,
22:10
and asked,
22:11
"What is this?"
22:13
I said,
22:14
"I saw in a dream
22:16
as though the moon approached from Yathrib
22:19
and fell into my lap.
22:21
When I recounted the dream to my cousin,
22:24
he slapped me and said,
22:26
'Do you wish to marry the king of Yathrib?'
22:31
So this mark is from his slap."
22:34
Hafsah felt jealous of me one day and said,
22:38
"You are the daughter of a Jew!"
22:40
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) entered upon me while I was weeping,
22:46
and asked me the reason for my tears.
22:49
I told him what Hafsah had said to me,
22:53
so he said,
22:54
"Say to her:
22:55
'Indeed, my father was a prophet,
22:58
my uncle was a prophet,
23:00
and my husband is a prophet;
23:02
so with what do you boast over me?'"
23:06
I loved the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, intensely.
23:11
When his wives gathered around him during his final illness,
23:17
I said,
23:18
"By Allah, O Prophet of Allah,
23:21
I wish that what has afflicted you was upon me instead."
23:25
His wives winked at one another in disapproval,
23:28
so the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to them,
23:32
"Rinse your mouths."
23:33
We asked, "For what reason, O Messenger of Allah?"
23:37
He replied,
23:38
"Because of your winking at her!
23:41
By Allah, she is truly speaking from her heart."
23:44
Who am I?
24:03
The answer:
24:04
Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab,
24:07
may Allah be pleased with her.
24:14
Did ever a star like them rise high and gleam?
24:19
They filled this life with glories through their deeds,
24:24
and the world of mankind flourished in grace through them.
24:35
Pause,
24:36
and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the noble souls,
24:40
the best of generations in stances and example.
24:45
A new challenge:
24:47
Who am I?
24:52
I am one of the Companions,
24:54
from the Emigrants (Muhajirun),
24:56
and one of the very foremost in accepting Islam.
25:00
I was older than the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
25:04
by ten years,
25:06
and I held a lofty status with him.
25:12
I migrated to Medina,
25:14
and the Prophet appointed me as commander
25:17
over sixty mounted men from the Emigrants.
25:21
He tied a battle banner for me,
25:23
and it was the first banner ever tied in Islam.
25:27
We encountered two hundred men of Quraysh,
25:30
led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb,
25:33
at the Pass of al-Murrah.
25:35
We shot arrows at one another
25:37
without engaging in sword combat,
25:40
and that was the very first skirmish in Islam.
25:46
Then I took part in the Battle of Badr.
25:49
At the beginning of the battle,
25:51
'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah stepped forward,
25:54
followed by his son al-Walid
25:56
and his brother Shaybah.
25:58
'Utbah called out, saying,
26:00
"Who will duel us?"
26:02
Some young men of the Ansar stepped forward to face him,
26:05
so he asked,
26:07
"Who are you?"
26:08
They replied,
26:09
"We are from the Ansar."
26:12
He said,
26:13
"We have no business with you;
26:15
we only want our own kinsmen."
26:19
Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
26:22
"Stand up, O Hamzah!
26:24
Stand up, O 'Ali!"
26:26
And he pointed to me and said,
26:28
"Stand up!"
26:30
Hamzah advanced toward 'Utbah and killed him,
26:33
and 'Ali advanced toward al-Walid and killed him.
26:37
As for me,
26:38
I dueled Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah.
26:41
We exchanged blows for a while,
26:43
then each one of us
26:45
struck the other.
26:48
Shaybah struck my leg,
26:50
and I fell to the ground.
26:53
Then Hamzah and 'Ali charged at Shaybah and killed him,
26:57
and they carried me to the Muslim camp while my last breath remained.
27:02
Later, I passed away at al-Safra',
27:04
where I was buried,
27:06
during the last ten nights of Ramadan.
27:09
Who am I?
27:31
The answer:
27:32
'Ubaydah ibn al-Harith, may Allah be pleased with him.
27:37
They departed, leaving in the conscience a question:
27:42
Did ever a star like them rise high and gleam?
27:47
They filled this life with glories through their deeds,
27:52
and the world of mankind flourished in grace through them.
28:07
Pause and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the noble souls,
28:11
the best of generations in stances and example.
28:16
A new challenge: Who am I?
28:24
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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from the tribe of Ghatafan.
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I was exceptionally sharp-witted,
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holding an esteemed standing among both the Arabs and the Jews.
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I used to visit the Jews of Banu Qurayzah,
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staying with them for days at a time,
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drinking of their drinks
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and eating of their food;
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then they would load me with dates,
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and I would return with them to my family.
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When the confederates marched to fight the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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I marched with my people while still adhering to my pagan faith.
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During our siege of Medina,
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Allah cast Islam into my heart,
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so I kept it secret from my people
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and slipped away until I reached the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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When he saw me, he asked,
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"What brings you here?"
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I said,
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"I have come to you as a Muslim,
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and I bear witness that what you brought is the truth.
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Command me, O Messenger of Allah, with whatever you wish."
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He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied,
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"You are only a single man,
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so sow discord among them on our behalf as much as you can."
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I said,
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"I shall do so, O Messenger of Allah."
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I went to Banu Qurayzah and said,
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"Keep my visit secret."
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They said, "We will."
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I said,
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"Indeed, Quraysh and Ghatafan
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will ultimately withdraw from Muhammad;
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if they find an opportunity, they will seize it,
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but if not, they will depart back to their homelands
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and leave you alone to face Muhammad.
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Do not fight alongside them until you take hostages from them,
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for they will not leave while their hostages are in your hands."
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They said,
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"You have offered sound counsel and sincere advice."
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Then I went to Abu Sufyan
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and said to him,
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"I have come to you with sincere advice,
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so keep it confidential."
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He said, "I will."
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I said,
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"Know that Qurayzah have regretted their breach with Muhammad,
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and they desire reconciliation and rapprochement with him.
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While I was with them, they sent word to him saying,
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'We will take from Quraysh and Ghatafan
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seventy of their noblemen
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and hand them over to you to strike their necks,
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and we will stand with you against Quraysh and Ghatafan
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until we drive them away from you.'
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So if they send word to you asking for hostages,
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do not surrender a single man to them, and beware of them."
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Then Qurayzah sent word to Quraysh, saying,
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"By Allah, we will not go out to fight Muhammad with you
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until you give us hostages from among yourselves to remain in our hands,
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for we fear that you might abandon the battlefield
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and leave us alone to face Muhammad."
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Abu Sufyan thought to himself,
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"By Allah, that man spoke the truth."
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So he sent a reply to them, saying,
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"By Allah, we will not give you any hostages;
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rather, come out and fight alongside us!"
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The Jews said,
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"We swear by the Torah
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that the report the man gave us is the absolute truth."
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Thus, each side lost faith in the support of the other,
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and the alliance fractured completely;
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their unity broke down and they were divided,
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which was the first herald of their defeat.
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Then Allah sent against them the fierce wind
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and unseen forces from Himself,
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bringing about their undoing.
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Who am I?
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The answer:
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Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud,
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may Allah be pleased with him.
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Did ever a star like them rise high and gleam?
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They filled this life with glories through their deeds,
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and the world of mankind flourished in grace through them,
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the best of generations in stances and example.
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I am one of the Companions,
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from the Ansar,
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and one of the leaders on the night of the Pledge of al-'Aqabah.
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I accepted Islam because of a woman:
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I went to propose marriage to Umm Sulaym
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after the death of her husband,
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but she said,
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"A man like you is not easily turned away,
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but you are an unbeliever.
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If you embrace Islam,
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I will gladly accept you as a husband,
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and I will take your conversion to Islam as my dowry."
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So I embraced Islam
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and subsequently married her.
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The Muslims used to say,
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"We have never heard of a dowry
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more noble than the dowry of Umm Sulaym,
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for she made her dowry Islam itself."
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One day,
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a young son of ours fell ill.
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I went out to attend to some of my errands,
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and during my absence the boy passed away.
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When I returned,
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I asked, "How is the boy doing?"
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My wife Umm Sulaym replied,
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"He is more at rest than he was before."
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She then brought me dinner,
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and I ate;
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after that, I lay with her.
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When I had finished,
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she said,
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"What would you think if a certain family
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borrowed something from another family,
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and when the owners asked for their borrowed property back,
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they refused to return it?"
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I said,
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"They have no right to do that."
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She then said,
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"Indeed, your son was a trust lent to you by Allah Almighty;
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He let you enjoy him as long as He willed,
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and He took him back when He willed."
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This struck me deeply.
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In the morning,
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I went to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and told him what my wife, Umm Sulaym, had done.
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, asked,
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"Did you spend the night together as husband and wife?"
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I replied, "Yes."
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He said,
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"May Allah bless you both in this night of yours."
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Consequently, Allah granted me nine sons,
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all of whom memorized the Qur'an.
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One day, I said to Umm Sulaym,
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"I heard the voice of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sounding frail,
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and I recognized the signs of hunger in it;
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do you have anything to eat?"
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She replied, "Yes,"
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and brought out some barley loaves,
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preparing some bread.
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Then I went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and found him sitting in the mosque surrounded by people.
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I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah,
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I have prepared some food for you."
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to those with him,
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"Stand up, everyone."
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So he set out, and I rushed ahead of them
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until I reached Umm Sulaym
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and said to her,
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"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has come along with the people,
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and we have nothing to feed them all!"
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She replied,
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"Allah and His Messenger know best."
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Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, arrived
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and said,
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"Bring what you have, O Umm Sulaym."
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So she brought that bread to him,
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and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, supplicated over it whatever Allah willed him to say.
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Then he said to me,
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"Admit ten men."
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I admitted them,
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and they ate until they were fully satisfied, and then left.
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Then he said,
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"Admit another ten."
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I admitted them,
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and they ate until they were fully satisfied, and then left.
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And it continued like this
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until all the people had eaten,
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and they were seventy or eighty men in total.
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After the passing of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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I fasted continuously for twenty-some years,
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never breaking my fast except on the day of Eid or during illness,
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until death overtook me.
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So, who am I?
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Abu Talhah al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
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Pause,
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and learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the notables.
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A new challenge: Who am I?
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I am one of the Companions,
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a Hudhalite and an ally of Banu Zuhrah.
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In my youth in Mecca,
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I used to tend the sheep of 'Uqbah Ibn Abi Mu'ayt.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed by me,
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accompanied by Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him,
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and he said,
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"O young boy,
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do you have any milk?"
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I said, "Yes,
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but I have been entrusted with them."
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
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"Is there a young ewe that has not yet mated with a ram?"
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I said, "Yes,"
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and brought him a young ewe.
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He wiped its udder,
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and milk began to flow.
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He milked it into a vessel,
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drank, gave Abu Bakr to drink, and then gave me to drink.
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Then he said to the udder,
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"Contract,"
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and it shrank back.
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I said,
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"O Messenger of Allah,
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teach me some of these words."
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He patted my head and said,
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"Indeed, you are a boy destined to be taught."
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So I embraced Islam then and there,
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and was among the very earliest converts,
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before the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, entered the house of al-Arqam.
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I remained closely attached to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in Mecca,
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and was bold in practicing the faith;
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I was the first to recite the Qur'an publicly in Mecca after the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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I endured what the earliest Muslims endured of the persecution of Quraysh,
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until I migrated to Abyssinia,
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and later to Medina.
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I also remained constantly by the side of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in Medina:
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I used to help him put on his sandals,
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walk before him carrying his staff,
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and when he reached his gathering,
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I would take off his sandals,
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tuck them under my arms,
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and hand him his staff.
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I used to enter his private quarters before him carrying his staff,
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and during journeys,
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I was the keeper of the secrets of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his bedding,
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his tooth-stick, his sandals, and his water for purification.
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I was the one who screened the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when he bathed,
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awakened him when he slept,
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and kept him company when he walked,
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to the point that some of the Companions thought I was of his household, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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I took part in Badr and in all the battles alongside the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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In the blessed Battle of Badr,
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the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
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"Who will go and see what became of Abu Jahl?"
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I said, "I will, O Messenger of Allah."
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Abu Jahl had been one of the fiercest torturers against me in Mecca.
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I went to him and found him lying prostrate,
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with his last breath remaining after having been struck down by the sons of 'Afra'.
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I stood upon his chest and killed him.
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Then I came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said,
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"I have killed Abu Jahl!"
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He asked, "By Allah, besides Whom there is no other deity?"
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He repeated it three times,
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and then said, "Allah is the Greatest!
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Come and show him to me."
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So we went, and there he lay, struck down and slain.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
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"This was the Pharaoh of this Ummah."
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So, who am I?
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The best of generations in their stands and exemplary deeds,
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following the Messenger in whatever he pursued or spoke.
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They refreshed the barren clouds of our lives.
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The answer: 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him.
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They departed, leaving a question echoing in the conscience:
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Has any star ever risen and shone as brilliantly as they did?
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They filled life with glories through their righteous deeds,
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and the world of mankind flourished through their radiant grace.